Stroudsburg vs. East Stroudsburg Turkey Day Game: Beating rival all that matters

Stroudsburg will trek to East Stroudsburg South on Thanksgiving for a 10 a.m. kickoff with the Cavaliers in the 67th meeting for the Little Brown Jug. The Mounties (8-3) will bring the Jug with them to the Purple Pit after upsetting the Cavaliers 36-35 in last year's game.

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By MIKE KUHNS

poconorecord.com

By MIKE KUHNS

Posted Nov. 23, 2011 at 12:01 AM

By MIKE KUHNS

Posted Nov. 23, 2011 at 12:01 AM

Turkey Day blog

Join us Thanksgiving Day for a live blog of the East Stroudsburg South vs. Stroudsburg Turkey Day Game. We'll have live updates and analysis from the game, along with your comments, beginning at ab...

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Turkey Day blog

Join us Thanksgiving Day for a live blog of the East Stroudsburg South vs. Stroudsburg Turkey Day Game. We'll have live updates and analysis from the game, along with your comments, beginning at about 9:45 a.m. at PoconoRecord.com.

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The battle for the Little Brown Jug dates back 66 years to 1945.

For a handful of seniors in Thursday's game, this is the only game that matters.

Stroudsburg will trek to East Stroudsburg South on Thanksgiving for a 10 a.m. kickoff with the Cavaliers in the 67th meeting for the Little Brown Jug. The Mounties (8-3) will bring the Jug with them to the Purple Pit after upsetting the Cavaliers 36-35 in last year's game.

The Cavaliers (3-8), winners of four of the last five Jug games, will be waiting as they try to reclaim the coveted trophy.

Ed Christian will coach his 31st Little Brown Jug game. He will try to lead his team out on a positive note after falling to Northampton 42-27 in a contingency game on Nov. 11.

"They're very good," Christian said of the Mounties. "They have it all together as far as they're big, they're fast, they're a strong team so they're able to run the ball."

On the Stroudsburg sideline will be coach Joe Bernard, leading the Mounties for the first time in the annual game. Bernard and the Mounties fell in the District 11 Class AAAA quarterfinal, 38-10, to Parkland in their last game.

Bernard would love nothing more than to send his seniors out with a victory.

"That's a big thing we've talked about, the importance of this game, the tradition," Bernard said. "This is the game you'll remember forever. For us to finish 9-3, MVC champs, and to beat our arch rival would be a great way to end the year."

The Mounties won the first meeting between the two teams this season — a 55-19 victory over the Cavaliers on Sept. 30. Running back Andrew Brome ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Robert Bennie rushed for 200 yards and a score as well.

If the Cavaliers have a shot to upset their rival, stopping Bennie and Brome — or at least slowing them down — is a must.

"When you have a guy like Bennie running the show, they're a zone-running team and Bennie reads it well," Christian said.

Winning this game isn't easy, and there are many times when the favorite is upset. Last year's emotional one-point victory by Stroudsburg sent legendary coach Fred Ross out on a high note despite being a big underdog.

Emotions usually run high as it took Christian seven tries until he finally beat Ross in 1987, 17-3. Lately it's been East Stroudsburg South's game to win, taking 4-of-5.

This year Christian is on the other side — the underdog — as the Cavaliers' 40-point loss earlier in the year indicates. Christian said this isn't the season he wanted for his team, but the Cavaliers do have a chance to end the year with a big win.

"It's not so much winning the Jug, it's playing your rival," Christian said. "Any time you get on the field with your rival, you want to do well."